Mushrooms of Kerala

Mushrooms of Kerala

Dr. C. Mohanan
Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi

Kerala State Biodiversity Board, Thiruvananthapuram

201 1
 Contents

Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgement

1. Introduction

2. Mushrooms: Morphology and Life Cycle

3. Collection, Processing and Describing Mushrooms

4. Mushrooms: Edible and Poisonous

5. Poisonous Mushrooms and Mushroom Toxins

6. Mushrooms: Diversity

7. Common Mushrooms

8. Selected References
Mushrooms of Kerala

Acknowledgements

The information generated through two research projects entitled

"Biodiversity of Terricolous and Lignicolous Macrofungi of the Western
Ghats, Kerala" sponsored by the Ministry of Environment and Forests,
Government of India, New Delhi and "Macrofungi of Kerala:
Biodiversity and Biosystematics" sponsored through KFRI Plan Grants
to the author was largely utilized for this Handbook. The author
gratefully acknowledges MoEF, Govt. of India, New Delhi, and Dr.
K.V. Sankaran, Director, KFRI for encouragement and support. Thanks
are also due to the Kerala State Biodiversity Board for financial support
for the preparation of this Handbook.
Mushrooms of'Kerala

ushrooms are fungi, distinguished by their epigeous and hypogeous macroscopic

fruiting bodies. However, the term ' mushroom' is generally used to denote the
edible fleshy fungi; the poisonous ones are called toadstools. Most mushrooms
belong to the Phyla Basidiomycota and Ascomycota and their fruiting bodies vary much in
shape, size, colour, texture, odour and taste. Mushrooms are familiar to everyone. They are
known to be edible from time immemorial. Their utilization as food is closely related on the
history of mankind. Edible, poisonous and hallucinogenic properties of mushrooms were
known to many of the ancient civilizations. Mushrooms are also important component of the
forest ecosystems and play a major role in ecosystem dynamics, such as litter decomposition,
nutrient cycling and nutrient transport. Most of the mushrooms are saprobes and occur on
soil, humus, decaying wood, litter, dung, among others. The saprophytic members constitute
major recyclers of nutrients. They are known to break down the lignocelluloses and thus help
in litter degradation, converting large molecular complexes into simpler compounds. The
activities of these mushrooms aid in return of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and minerals back
into the ecosystem to be utilized by plants and other organisms.

Many mushrooms are ectomycorrhizal members having mutualistic association with roots of
trees and shrubs belonging to both angiosperms and gymnosperms. The mutualistic association
helps in the uptake of poorly mobile nutrients including nitrogen and phosphorus by plants in
the nutrient deficient or problematic soils. Thus, the ectomycorrhizal mushrooms play a vital
role in nutrient transport as well as maintaining the health and vitality of planted and natural
stands. Species of Amanita, Boletus, Russula, Laccaria, Lactarius, Inocybe, Pisolithus,
Scleroderma, among others, are important ectomycorrhizal partners. A few mushrooms like
Termitomyces also form mutualistic relationship with termites belonging to Macrotermitinae
and grow from the termite nests or mounts. Some are also pathogens of woody plants, insects
and higher fungi.

Fruiting bodies of mushrooms are formed only when ecological conditions are favourable,
but their mycelia exist in soil, humus, plant litter, decaying wood or other substrata
inconspicuously for a very long period. Mushrooms fruiting on woody substratum are usually
either saprobes or pathogens causing root rot, butt rot, heart rot and decay of wood, branches
and twigs. The wood rotting mushrooms belong to two groups: white rotters and brown
rotters. The heart rot causing mushrooms affect the inner core or heartwood of trees and their
fruiting bodies appear only at the advanced stage of decay.
Mushrooms of Kerala

Many mushrooms are edible and also useful in production of a range of bioactive compounds
including industrially important enzymes. The edible mushrooms are a natural resource with
high nutritional and economic value. Recent studies confirm that wild collected edible
mushroom species are important souroe of food and income in both developing and developed
countries. More than 1200 species of mushrooms are used in 85 different countries for their
gastronomic and/or medicinal properties. China, Japan and eastern European countries are
particularly enthusiastic collectors and consumers, and have developed a robust marketing
network to satisfL the high demand. Cantharellus cibarius, Boletus spp., Tricholoma matsutake,
Tuber melanosporum are the most remarkable mushroom species in terms of world trade. In
India, the tradition of gathering and consuming mushrooms among rural population is on the
decline because of the growing urbanization and associated changes in food habits. However,
tribals and other forest dwellers are exploiting some of the edible and medicinal mushrooms.

Mushrooms are well known for their medicinal properties. Many of them are widely exploited
in traditional and alternative medicines to heal a broad range of diseases. Amongst the many
species used in medicine, the most common are Cordyceps sinensis, Ganodenna lucidum,
Lentinus edodes, Trametes versicoloc especially esteemed in China and Japan. Mushrooms
are a good source of digestible proteins and fibre in the form of chitin, which has potential in
lowering cholesterol. The intake of mushrooms has also been shown to be effective in cancer
prevention (Ikekawa, 2001). Several anti-tumor polysaccharides have been isolated from
mushrooms like Lentinus spp., Flammulina velutipes (Salder, 2003). Antioxidant activity of
mushrooms, Phellinus rimosus, Pleurotus florida, Pleurotus sajor-caju, Ganoderma lucidum
has also been recorded (Lakshmi et al., 2004).

So far, only a handful mushrooms are being cultivated and commercially exploited worldwide.
Species of Agaricus, Pleurotus, Calocybe, Macrocybe, Tricholoma, Volvariella, Auricularia,
among others, are cultivated on commercial scale in different countries. In India, Agaricus
bisporus (button mushroom) Pleurotus spp. (oyster mushroom) and Volvariella volvacea
(tropical mushroom or paddy straw mushroom) are under commercial cultivation. Of these,
about 90 per cent of the total production (ca. 7000 tomes/ annum) is contributed by the button
mushroom alone.

Most mushrooms are widely distributed both in tropical and temperate regions, however,
some of them are confined to particular ecological zones. Mushroom diversity, as with all
other sub-sects of biodiversity exhibits distinct patterns in both space and time. Such fingal
diversity patterns are to a large extent unexplored. Kerala State represents an epitome of the
Western Ghats in many respects and the State is remarkably well known for luxuriant vegetation
and rich biological diversity. The geographical separation of the State, bordered in the west by
the Arabian Sea and the east by the Western Ghats and their peculiar physiographic, edaphic
and climatic gradients have contributed significantly to the development of diverse types of
ecosystems, each supporting unique assemblage of biological communities including
mushrooms with an impressive array of species and genetic diversity.
Mushrooms of Kerala
forest litter. This species is usually found associated
with bamboo clumps (Bambusa bambos). Mushroom
fruit bodies are small sized. Mushroom cap 3-5.5 cm
diam., convex expanding, slightly depressed at the disk;
surface pale yellow, covered by a tomenturn of erect,
downy hairs disrupting into dark brown crowded
squamules. Gills sinuato-adnate, yellow, narrow up to
2 mrn wide, crowded, with lamellulae of two lengths;
edge denticulate. Stipe 3-4 cm long and 4-7 rnm thick,
cylindric, hollow; surface yellow, paler at top,
longitudinally striate, with faint zones of yellowish
brown, fibrillose squamules.

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Wallingford, UK, 456 p.
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Dictionary of the Fungi. Tenth Edition, CAB International, Wallingford, UK, 771 p.
Largent, D., Johnson, D. and Walting, R. 1977. How to Identify Mushrooms to Genus 111:
Microscopic Features. Mad River Press Inc., Eureka, CA,148 p.
Lakhanpal, T.N. 1996. Mushrooms of India: Boletaceae,A.P.H. Publishing Corporation, New Delhi.
Leelavathy, K.M. and Ganesh, P.N. 2000. Polypores of Kerala. Daya Publishing House, New Delhi.
166 p.
Mohanan, C. 2011. Macrofungi of Kerala. Handbook No. 27, Kerala Forest Research Institute,
Peechi, Kerala, 662 p.
Mohanan, C. 201 1. Terrestrial and Lignicolous Macrofungi of Kerala Part of the Western Ghats.
Final Technical Report, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, New Delhi.
Natarajan, K and Raman, N. 1983. South Indian Agaricales. J Cramer FL-9490 Vaduz, Germany:
203 p.
Pegler, D.N. 1977. A Preliminary Agaric Flora of East Africa. Kew Bull. Addit. Ser. 6: 615 p.
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Pegler, D.N. 1986. Agaric Flora of Sri Lanka. Kew Bull. Addit. Ser. 12: 519 p.
Ryvarden, L., and Johansen, I. 1980. A Preliminary Polypore Flora of East Africa. Fungiflora,
Oslo, Norway, 636 p.
Singer, Rolf 1986. The Agaricales in Modem Taxonomy. Koenigstein: Koeltz Scientific Books,
981p.